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It’s like-minded people in a similar demographic, like young professionals, who wanted a place to go hang out that wasn’t clubby.” So kind of on accident, we would have these backyard fires that would turn into sing-alongs. “And it was because we loved our backyard so much-that was a way for us to hang out with the people that we already knew and loved here. We were like, ‘We have a backyard?’” Wolfe says. “It was 20 years of pent-up apartment living. And it all started with what New Yorkers love about Colorado: square footage. The couple says the summer of 2020 was incredibly influential when it came to their decision to not only put down roots here, but open their own business. After the show’s remaining dates were canceled, he joined Franklin in Colorado rather than returning to cramped quarters in New York. But I was thrilled that I was trapped in Colorado Springs instead of New York City.” Wolfe was on tour when the pandemic hit. “I didn’t realize at the time that I would be here, you know, indefinitely,” Franklin says. Franklin had temporarily headquartered himself in the rental while working on a show with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic in late 2019. Their permanent move to the Springs came about, in part, due to the pandemic.
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They bought a home in the Spring’s bohemian westside neighborhood of Old Colorado City, turning it into an Airbnb for two years as they wrapped up a slate of shows they were scheduled to perform in New York City. But he kept close ties to the local arts scene in Colorado Springs, and three years ago, lured Wolfe back to the Centennial State’s “Second City.” Both became enamored with its beauty, and impressed with its growth as a distinctive cultural hub in its own right. After graduating from Dougherty High School in Colorado Springs, Franklin pursued his craft in the Big Apple, and for 20 years, he built a theatre career on Broadway. Owning a bar is new territory for the couple-but for Franklin, Colorado Springs isn’t.įranklin’s story is all too similar to those of queer kids with dreams bigger than their small (or conservative) hometowns. Both of them are far more accustomed to making curtain calls than signature drinks, having been performers on Broadway for the last two decades in beloved shows like Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde, and Grease. But the couple says they have welcomed the chance to learn the ins and outs of the bar and restaurant industry before loosened restrictions opened the doors to a flood of customers. Photo courtesy of John Wolfeįranklin and Wolfe, who are engaged to be married in August, opened ICONS in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a risky move for any new venture. And there are places that have live music, but they’re not classy-campy like we are. Certainly, there are cocktail places, but they’re not necessarily queer places. “It seems like a no-brainer,” Franklin says, “but it truly is unique.